A Mortal Zin Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: March 4, 2025
A crusading attorney’s death. Sabotage at a family winery. Secrets buried in California’s past…
When corporate attorney Noli Cooper visits her godparents’ Santa Cruz Mountain winery, she’s hoping for a few quiet days to consider her future. But the future will have to wait. The body of her childhood mentor, a crusading social justice lawyer and local hero, is discovered in a rocky ocean cove. The sheriff is quick to call it suicide. Noli knows he’s wrong. Teaming up with PI Luz Alvarado, Noli dives into a world where nothing is as it seems.
As threats mount and the winery teeters on the brink of ruin, Noli and Luz must navigate a treacherous landscape of greed, revenge, and long-buried secrets. Their investigation weaves through the rich tapestry of California’s vineyard history, the mystery of zinfandel grapes, and the haunting legacy of the Vietnam War. With a murderer on the loose, predatory neighbors circling, and Noli’s godfather framed for murder, the clock is ticking. Can two fearless women from different worlds unravel the truth before it’s too late?
Mortal Zin is the first book in the series by the same name, and I can’t wait for more. A debut novel by Diane Schaffer that had me gripping my seat more than once and staying up too late as the mysteries kept unfolding.
Set in 2009, in the hills and vineyards of Santa Cruz County. Several storylines are interspersed throughout the main arc, featuring twists and turns. There is a depth to the characters as we are introduced to each of them and slowly peel back their layers to get to know them a little at a time.
The story has a good flow, and all the information provided is essential. The attention to detail is focused, and it had me visualizing the locations, the crime scenes, the vineyards and wines, as well as the homes, outbuildings, and various businesses.
Noli, a lawyer returning to the States after working abroad for years, is at the center of the story along with the vineyards and the apple orchard. Vietnam vets are central to the storyline, and they were close friends of Noli’s dad, with whom she grew up around. She was raised and grew up in a commune, which played a key role.
The death we first encounter sets the stage for a crime to be solved, even if the police want to rule it a suicide. The characters work together and complement each other in ways I didn’t expect. The manner in which the crime was solved, and the motive were portrayed nicely. I had hints along the way, but didn’t fully put all the pieces together until the end. The story had closure, but also left an opening for what they might be up to in the next book. The Book Club Questions at the back of the book were thought-provoking, and I can imagine the discussions that would ensue.
Mortal Zin is a mystery filled with friends and crimes to solve, with clues to sift through and red herrings to ignore.
Diane Schaffer, a Stanford PhD, is a retired professor and longtime resident of Santa Cruz County. Mortal Zin, her first mystery novel, is rooted in her summer work in a Santa Cruz zinfandel winery, where she became fascinated with the unique history of zinfandel, California’s mystery grape. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking, river kayaking, or reading a good mystery novel. She now lives in Ashland, Oregon, with her husband.
